Mended
by Don'tChaseWhat'sGone
Summary: He would bleed, but he wouldn't die. Perhaps they were both okay with it, in a sense.


A/N;; Kind of love Hidan. Watching re-runs inspired me. I've read most stories for them on here; their partnership is easily most compelling. Hopefully it'll flow naturally & turn out just right. :)

If you're sensitive to cursing, do not read on.

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Hidan skidded against roughly cobbled ground, pausing briefly to contemplate efficient attack strategies, something he saw as a waste of time, partially because he never seemed to be good at them. It was more of his partner's forte; either way, it didn't matter because he would _always_ make it out alive. He would outlive that damned man if it was the last thing he ever did.

He rubbed uncomfortably at the scar underneath his headband, taking an irritable huff as his grim accomplice doubled the damage. Definitely more capable both mentally and physically, but Hidan would never admit it.

Facing two nameless, irrelevant opponents that seemed to come out of thin air. But once this war started, it _started_ goddammit. Techniques were never hard for Kakuzu to predict, so the duo hardly worried. They were up against certain death, so today was their day. Even if they didn't deserve it. They would die, he decided well in advance.

Kakuzu reclaimed one of his detached arms, adjusting himself within the blink of an eye. "There's no use in this pathetic play. You're both absolutely worthless."

He was not speaking solely from hatefulness, because the two would earn him nothing financially. This would have ended long ago if it was any different.

"They'll make fine sacrifices," Hidan laughed maniacally, a laugh his companion did not care for. "that's their purpose, worth much more than money!"

Seconds away from sinking the scythe into his target, the enemy he was not aiming for tackled his comrade, somehow managing to knock them free of death's clutches.

"You can't-" The adversary panted heavily, clearly at a breaking point. He kept himself on top of his partner, a female, who was just as exhausted from trying to maintain some useless hope of survival.

"Lucky move, I suppose. An ignorant choice nevertheless," Hidan rolled his eyes, slightly baffled by the loyalty he couldn't relate to. It was obvious the male was willing to give himself up in order to spare the woman. "now her death gets to be three times as painful!"

He never got the chance to take them both out, Kakuzu's serpent-like arm catching on the opponent's temple with no sign of hesitation. Shards of jagged rock broke the man's fall, poking through his skull awkwardly while an expanding pool of crimson tainted the area.

"Aw, fuckin' nasty dude."

He sniggered, turning away from the scene. If the guy was hoping to receive sympathy, his last moments must have been supremely disappointing. "Too much gore for even you?"

Hidan didn't bother replying, instead directing his attention to the girl, who was awfully white. He found this so amusing his eyes lit up. "No need for you to see any more of this."

"This one's all mine."

Kakuzu patiently sat back as his partner did his usual thing, releasing a top-notch inner psycho. He was literally _insane_ , he mused, wishing that a profit of some sort was somehow involved in this waste of time.

It didn't take long for Hidan to get carried away on his wave of adrenaline, torturing a soul that had been dead for minutes. It felt _so_ right, he just couldn't help himself. Screams filled with agony radiated through him, fueling the pleasurable fire that _was_ his spirituality. It was a good pain. _Why did it have to end?_

"For Christ's sake, get up," The masked individual resisted the urge to kick him over. "don't you ever get tired of being such a freak?"

He fell to his knees regardless, barely hearing the thud of his scythe hitting the ground. Blood oozed from his body as he slowly removed the spear.

Before he could face plant on rugged terrain, Kakuzu caught him forcibly by naked shoulders. The healing process seemed to be delayed.

"Stand."

He could tell Hidan was making an honest effort, despite fatigue, willpower growing from rage. "Shut.. Up..."

His recovery wasn't immediate, as he shook violently from self-inflicted wounds and took slow breaths that should have been a man's last.

Kakuzu experienced an indistinct panic, either from anxiety or slight worry that maybe he would finally die here. But that feeling would pass relatively quickly. "I mean it. Stand. I don't care if you can't breathe."

"Oww.. That hurts. Kakuzu! Let go of me!" His voice wasn't quivering anymore, and just like that, everything was normal again. "What the hell are you trying to do? Give the world's roughest massage?!"

He gave him one last haul to his feet, exchanging spiteful glares. "Perhaps next time you'd like to bear gashes on that ungrateful face of yours."

"So-rrryy!" Hidan raised his voice sarcastically, "You were pinching my fucking nerves. I'm not that filthy, stupid money you like to keep your hands on so don't treat me like it!"

Kakuzu just shook his head, considering he treated money with much less contempt. "It's your fault. Calm yourself down for once."

" _Please,_ I'm fucking fine," He wiped the remaining blood off his chest with a cloth. "But what a way to go, huh? Little dumbasses."

He allowed Hidan to do most of the talking, eager to be away from this pitiful sight.

"Where are you going!? Get back here you bastard!" He snatched his weapon up in one hand, catching up with some difficulty.

"As I was saying.. what the hell was up with that? What idiot does that at their own expense? You must have hit him damn hard!"

Kakuzu didn't bother to reflect on what their relationship might have been, but it was pretty obvious. His partner just failed to grasp the simplest of concepts due to stupidity. "It isn't that uncommon. They deserved to be killed."

Hidan finally seemed to understand by his own definition. "Ohhh, but that's not even worth it. 'Ya know?"

"Not hardly."

"How do you know?"

"I've been around a lot longer than you," Kakuzu growled, but this tone seemed to give the immortal a new sense of purpose.

Hidan almost went for a crack at his ancientness, testing waters and keeping up easily now. "So you're saying.. dedication of any kind means nothing to you?"

"You finally realize something, I'm impressed."

Though this got to him immensely, he went along with it. "You're so full of shit."

Kakuzu figured out his end game long ago. He was going to play on emotions until he lashed out at him after being pissed off. He wanted to fight. He wouldn't be quiet. He loved to toy with the emotions he didn't have.

"You've dedicated yourself to this entire organization, including me."

Hidan winced out of habit, forcing himself on the defense to avoid a heavy punch; he hadn't been quite ready.

"I can hardly stand you, Hidan."

"Too bad!" He swung ruthlessly, even though the timing was miscalculated and Kakuzu had scary swift reflexes.

His opportunity to retaliate was ruined, too late to recognize the presence behind him. One tan-skinned hand was able to get a firm lock on his scalp, creating a pins-and-needles sensation almost.

"Really, why go for the hair? I dare you to hit me, asshole!"

"Run your mouth some more," Kakuzu raised him to his level by the strands, using unwavering strength to cause flaming amethyst eyes to lock with menacing olive green. "go on, get it all out of your system."

"I'm not scared of you," He tried prying away his fingers, cursing when he failed. Going for the hair was such a girly move. "stupid son of a bitch!"

"You're just lucky it would take more energy to get rid of you than to keep you."

"As if I'm a fuckin' pet! You're gonna wish you hadn't you said that!"

Kakuzu gave a faint laugh when he heard that, yanking him back once more before dropping him like a piece of trash. His hand was slick with grease from whatever disgusting product that was slathered into his hair all the time. "Why don't you pray to that god of yours for some brains?"

After all, he could play this condescending game just as well. Only better, and he would win.

Hidan snapped, abandoning his weapon and reeling back to crack his jaw, surprised when his fist was caught mid-swing.

He choked out a disgruntled whimper when he felt his hand twist until it popped, swearing quietly.

"You don't like that?" Kakuzu asked with a tone laced with patronage. "My bad."

Involuntary tears obscured his vision as he felt the bones break, blinking them away before struggling against his hold.

"No, dammit!" He shoved him away viciously, favoring the sore hand until it faded into a dull ache. "I like to _share_ in other people's pain, not my own. How many times do I need to fucking explain?"

"Maybe you should learn when to stop talking."

"Don't know. I'm beginning to think you like hearin' my voice," Hidan tested muscles as he regained full control of his hand. "I mean, just admit it already. You'd be lost without me."

"You're nothing but a poor, demented soul," Kakuzu said as if he didn't know so beforehand. "not to mention highly unlikable. Nobody particularly cares for you."

"Me? Unlikable? I'd say I have you beat in that department. Must explain why neither of us have many friends, huh?" His jokes always fell flat, "I'm like your only friend, and I have to be, which is sad in itself."

"People don't have homicidal feelings toward their friends, Hidan."

"Yet you'll never fucking succeed," He wore a handsome smile on his good-looking face. "and even if you could, you wouldn't do shit."

Kakuzu halted their walk abruptly, causing his partner to nearly trip. He rested a bag of carefully counted cash on the ground, feeling much too heavy for carrying. The never-ending complaints and luggage became enough quickly.

It was true that losing Hidan would be a harmful blow, impacting his business endeavors negatively. That's why it was easier to keep him, but they were not friends. Partners, not friends. It would be nice to spend one day without his bratty attitude weighing everything down. He might have been worth more without the arrogant piece of shit personality.

"You're impulsive, Hidan. Your insanity and foul language makes me want to have you killed and brought back to life just so I can kill you again. If I could, I would use your heart as a pawn in my battles. Your personality is undoubtedly the worst I've ever seen, and if I were you I'd thank my lucky stars you aren't half as ugly on the outside. However, it will never be of benefit because nobody likes you. You're still a hideous being. The flaws of your ridiculous existence are quite endless. Let me be clear on the fact that _nobody,_ including myself, has ever liked you. You're somebody to put up with, unfortunately."

A normal soul might be sobbing at that kind of speech, but he seemed at peace, smirking as if he had been complimented. Like he never heard a word.

"Aww, but you never said you hated me either so what does that leave us with?"

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A/N;; I wrote this months ago. Just got around to publishing it, so tell me your thoughts! In character, graphic, or did you think it was too short/long? Thanks for any feedback~


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